"Christmas in Fallujah" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Cass Dillon and Billy Joel | ||||
Released | December 4, 2007 | |||
Recorded | 2007 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Songwriter(s) | Billy Joel | |||
Billy Joel singles chronology | ||||
|
"Christmas in Fallujah" is a single written by Billy Joel and performed by Cass Dillon. [1] A few weeks after recording the track, Joel introduced Dillon on stage in Chicago for the first live performance of the song. [2] It is also Joel's second new song of original material with lyrics he had written since 1993's River of Dreams after "All My Life".
The single was released on December 4, 2007, exclusively from the iTunes Store and was included on Dillon's EP A Good Thing Never Dies (iTunes download). [3] The proceeds from this single were donated to Homes for Our Troops, a nonprofit organization that builds specially adapted homes for American service members returning from Iraq (Fallujah is a city in Iraq) and Afghanistan with severe disabilities. [4]
Joel performed "Christmas in Fallujah" live in Australia in November 2008, marking the first time he sang the lyrics to the song instead of Dillon. On December 11, 2008, Joel announced that a new recording of the song that day at Sydney's Acer Arena concert would be released as a download and CD single in honor of the American and Australian soldiers serving in the Middle East. This is the only official recording of Joel singing "Christmas in Fallujah" that is available. [5]
Chart (2008) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia Physical Singles (ARIA) [6] | 46 |
William Martin Joel is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man" after his signature 1973 song of the same name, Joel has had a successful music career as a solo artist since the 1970s.
The Second Battle of Fallujah, initially codenamed Operation Phantom Fury,Operation al-Fajr was an American-led offensive of the Iraq War that lasted roughly six weeks, starting 7 November 2004. Marking the highest point of the conflict against the Iraqi insurgency, it was a joint military effort carried out by the United States, the Iraqi Interim Government, and the United Kingdom. Within the city of Fallujah, the coalition was led by the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army, the battle was later described as "some of the heaviest urban combat U.S. military have been involved in since the Battle of Huế City in Vietnam in 1968".
"Fairytale of New York" is a song written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan and recorded by their London-based band the Pogues, featuring English singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl on vocals. The song is an Irish folk-style ballad and was written as a duet, with the Pogues' singer MacGowan taking the role of the male character and MacColl playing the female character. It was originally released as a single on 23 November 1987 and later featured on the Pogues' 1988 album If I Should Fall from Grace with God.
"Piano Man" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel. First released as a single in the US on November 2, 1973, it was included on Joel's 1973 album of the same name. The song is sung from Joel's point of view as a piano player at a bar, reminiscing about his experiences there and the people he encountered. "Piano Man" is based on Joel's real-life experiences as a lounge musician in Los Angeles from 1972 to 1973, which he had decided to pursue in an effort to escape his contracted New York City-based record company at the time, Family Productions, following the poor commercial performance of the album Cold Spring Harbor. Joel describes various characters, including a bartender named John and a "real estate novelist" named Paul, all based on real-life individuals.
Charles Arnold Burgi III is an American drummer. He has performed with many rock bands and musicians, ranging from local New Jersey/New York-area artists to international groups, throughout his prolific career. He is the current drummer for The Billy Joel Band.
Steve Walsh is an American singer, musician and songwriter, best known for his work as a longtime member of the progressive rock band Kansas. He retired from the band in 2014. He sings lead on four of Kansas' best-known hits: "Carry On Wayward Son", "Dust in the Wind", "Point of Know Return", and "All I Wanted", the last two of which he co-wrote.
"Bam Thwok" is a download-only single by the American alternative rock band the Pixies. Written and sung by bassist Kim Deal, the song was released exclusively through the iTunes Store on June 15, 2004. Upon its release, "Bam Thwok" was a commercial success, debuting at number one on the first release of the UK Download Chart. The song was the band's first recording since Trompe le Monde (1991).
"Dream a Little Dream of Me" is a 1931 song with music by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt and lyrics by Gus Kahn. It was first recorded in February 1931 by Ozzie Nelson and His Orchestra, soon followed by Wayne King and His Orchestra with vocals by Ernie Birchill. A popular standard, it has seen well over 400 recorded versions.
"Big Shot" is a song performed by Billy Joel from his 1978 album 52nd Street as its opening track, released as a single in early 1979. The song would become the second hit single from the album, peaking at #14 in the United States.
This is the discography of American singer-songwriter Billy Joel. He has released 13 studio albums, seven live albums, 18 compilation albums, 10 video albums, 82 singles, three promotional singles and 45 music videos. Throughout his career, he has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists in history. According to Recording Industry Association of America, Joel has sold 85 million certified albums in the United States, making him the 4th best-selling solo artist of all time. Billboard ranked him as the 9th Greatest male soloist of all time.
"Honesty" is a song by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released by Columbia Records as the third US single from his sixth studio album 52nd Street (1978) in 1979. "Honesty" was solely written by Joel, while production was handled by Phil Ramone. The song appears on the Dutch and Japanese editions of Greatest Hits Volume 2, replacing "Don't Ask Me Why" (1980).
Cass Dillon is a singer-songwriter from Long Island, New York, whose first release is a song written by Billy Joel titled "Christmas in Fallujah".
The Woody Guthrie Foundation, founded in 1972, is a non-profit organization which formerly served as administrator and caretaker of the Woody Guthrie Archives. The Foundation was originally based in Brooklyn, New York and directed by Woody Guthrie's daughter Nora Guthrie.
"Comin' Home Baby" is a song originally written as an instrumental by Ben Tucker and first recorded by the Dave Bailey Quintet in 1961, and shortly thereafter by Herbie Mann. Lyrics were added by Bob Dorough, and the vocal version became a US Top 40 hit for American jazz singer Mel Tormé in 1962. The song has since been covered numerous times.
"Butterfly Fly Away" is a 2009 duet performed by American actors and recording artists Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus. The song was first heard in the 2009 film Hannah Montana: The Movie, in which both Cyruses star, and was subsequently released on the film's soundtrack. An extended version is featured on Billy Ray's eleventh studio album, Back to Tennessee. The song is a soft country ballad with lyrics that describe a child's transition to adulthood.
"I'll Be Home for Christmas" is a Christmas song written by the lyricist Kim Gannon and composer Walter Kent and recorded in 1943 by Bing Crosby, who scored a top ten hit with the song. Originally written to honor soldiers overseas who longed to be home at Christmas time, "I'll Be Home for Christmas" has since gone on to become a Christmas standard.
"Old Toy Trains" is a Christmas song written and originally recorded by American musician Roger Miller. It was released in late 1967 as a single for Smash Records. Since the original recording, the song has also been covered by various other artists including Miller's son Dean Miller, as well as Toby Keith.
"No Better" is a song by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde, taken from the extended version of her debut studio album Pure Heroine (2013). The track was released on 13 December 2013 by Universal Music Group as a promotional tool for the album. "No Better" is an electropop and trip hop ballad with elements of hip hop, in which Lorde discusses an infatuation. Music critics opined that the single has similar musical style to songs from Pure Heroine.
Evergreen is the debut studio album by New Zealand music duo Broods, which was released on 22 August 2014. Following the release of their self-titled EP, Broods, earlier that year, the album includes two songs from that EP and the new single "Mother & Father". Upon its release, Evergreen debuted at number 1 on the New Zealand Albums Chart and was certified gold by Recorded Music NZ for sales exceeding 7,500 copies. Songs from the album were performed live during the first half of 2014. Produced by Joel Little, known for his work with fellow New Zealander Lorde, the album explores alternative pop music, with influences of indie genres.
"Turn the Lights Back On" is a single by American musician Billy Joel. It was released on February 1, 2024, through Columbia Records and was Joel's first single since "Christmas in Fallujah" was released in 2007, 17 years earlier. The song is written by Joel, Freddy Wexler, Arthur Bacon, and Wayne Hector.